Weekend Edition Sunday

The facts of Sept. 11 are irrefutable: The planes crashed. The World Trade Center towers collapsed. Thousands died. But facts alone never tell the whole story. In the search for meaning we often turn to those who write fiction because writers keep looking for the truth, even when they know they don't have all the answers. Lynn Neary

Tropical Storm Lee slogged on shore along the Gulf Coast Saturday, drenching Labor Day weekend plans and shutting down offshore oil rigs. Forecasters are warning that up to 20 inches of rain could fall in some places.

The massive clean-up from Tropical Storm Irene continues in upstate New York, but some cash-strapped rural communities say they're not sure how much they can afford to rebuild.

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AUDIE CORNISH, host: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Audie Cornish.

Rebels in Libya say they are encroaching on one of the last strongholds of the country's long-time ruler, Moammar Gadhafi. Meantime, they're consolidating power in the capital.

We're joined now by NPR's Jason Beaubien who is traveling in the country. Hi there, Jason..

JASON BEAUBIEN: Hello.

CORNISH: So, Jason, explain how much of the country at this point is considered in rebel hands.

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrived in Paris Sunday for the first time since his arrest in New York in May on charges of sexually assaulting a hotel maid — a case that subsequently fell apart. His return is likely to spark some excitement in France, though the country is split on its attitude to him.